Behind The Tea Shop
by Lizzie Della-Robbia
Summary: Ezmi was taken away from her parents when she was 7. She spent 3 years on the Fire Nation prison boat, and then 2 years living on the streets. What happens when Katara finds her while trying to find Toph?
1. Torn Apart

**Hi guys. This is a little mini series I'm working on while waiting for my other story, Avatar: The Last Empathy to get some reviews. I want you to know that I might not be updating that much either, because tomorrow I have school, and I'm always busy with acting class, another school thing, and having to go somewhere for my sister, and I have a big project in Force and Motion that my ENTIRE GRADE is doing, so I want to get working on that. Also cause I want extra credit for decoration :D.**

 **So, with that being said: LET'SAGO!**

* * *

Prolouge: The Raid

Written by: TheOTPSareREAL

* * *

 **Katara's POV**

"Oh hello Katara, nice to see you again." Iroh said. I was very overwhelmed. I had a newborn baby in one hand, tons of clothes for the baby in another, and clothes and food in my backpack I was carrying.

"Hello Iroh. May we stay here for a while? I promise I will pay rent! Anything please! I'll work at the tea shop! Just please, I need to take care of a baby, and I can't take of her living on the streets!" I begged. My daughter, the baby, started to wail. Everyone in the Fire Nation village there was watching me, either with smirks, or horrified faces, or looks of concern wanting to help a poor girl in the that doesn't belong here raise her daughter properly. Did I care? No. Did Iroh care? Of course not, when has he ever?

He had a frown, but it turned into a smile and he welcomed me in. We made it up the stairs into the second bedroom he had above the tea shop. I settled down the baby, closed the door, and reclothed both of us, and out of our dirty rags. I cuddled up with her, and we both fell asleep. Well, until she woke me up with her crying and Iroh asking if I wanted some tea. "No thanks for now Iroh, maybe later!" I said. I opened my button-up shirt and let her feed. I contemplated on my actions. I slept with Zuko, we were drunk, just to clarify, I told my brother I was pregnant, and he and Aang went nuts, they actually banished me from coming on Appa ever again, and when I gave birth, Zuko sent out people to try and capture me, and the baby. I wiped those thoughts our of my mind when my baby caught my fingers and preceded to suck on it. I giggled, and kissed her tiny nose. She made a gurgling sound, and I laughed, hugging her to my chest. I then contemplated about what I would name her. I always liked Water Tribe names, and all the girls in my family have had a k beginning her name. I decided to break that chain by naming her Ezmi, meaning empathy. I closed up my shirt and went downstairs, where Iroh was closing up shop, having a tray of tea and pastries out.

"Ah, Katara, come join me for some tea and cookies, I just closed up shop."

I smiled and said "Alright." I walked over and Ezmi fell asleep, her head falling sideways. I scoffed, picked her head up, and said "Ezmi, be a lady please. Never have your head hang to the side." I giggled, kissing her tiny forehead. I sat down, tasting a cookie, saying "Iroh! These are soooo good!" I ate some more, and drank some of his Jasmine tea, and I loved it.

I went to bed a while later, when Ezmi started crying. As she started crying a thunder storm went on. When she took a raspy breath, the thunderstorm calmed for a second, then she went on, and it became worse again. I changed her, and as I did, I knew that my daughter was going to be a powerful waterbender.

* * *

Ezmi was 7. I had become a waitress at Iroh's shop, and Iroh took care of us. Ezmi always calls him "Grandpa Iroh". I always taught her how to water-bend and she was getting better every day. Before we start her lessons on the riverbank she always says "I'm lucky to have such a great mommy and a great teacher!" and I would always smile at that comment.

Little did I know I would almost never see that smiling face, or hear that comment ever again.

One day Ezmi was playing with a foam sword I bought her at a kid's market. She was near the entrance, as the tea shop hadn't opened yet. I was in the back preparing the trays of food for when service did start. Then Zuko came in.

He came in with his hair down, his armor on, and a bunch of soldiers behind him. So, Ezmi thought it was a good idea to pretend to be a turtle and trip Zuko. He fell, and Ezmi was laughing. I walked up to see what it was, then gasped in horror. I did a water whip, and took Ezmi along with some backpacks full of food and clothes. I stepped over Zuko as Ezmi did a raspberry ( **A/N: You know phffffffffffft, that kind of stuff** ) at him. I ran, and the guards caught us. Zuko had gotten up, and he was smirking.

"Well, well. If it isn't Katara. And who's this?" He said.

"E-Ezmi sir." Ezmi said, genuinely scared. She looked like she was about to cry. That made me want to cry.

"Hmm... guards, put her on the prison boat. As for you Katara, you **will** be my arranged bride." He said, kissing me. I cried and kicked him in the... ahem... not so fun to be kicked parts.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" screamed Ezmi. A huge wave went on top of the boat, sending it to crash. The boat stayed perfectly fine. They took Ezmi, who was kicking and screaming, and placed her on the boat. I was dragged by Zuko who was taking me to a seperate boat for "just us"

 **I never saw Ezmi again... or did I?**

* * *

 **DUN DUN DUN! Yes, Ezmi is taken by the Fire Nation. Also I am reading teh Land of Stories series, which is really really good, and there is an Enchantress named Ezmia. I really liked her name, but I think the a at the end was a little much. So, I decided to get rid of the a and use Ezmi. I like it.**

 **Anyway, Review plzzzzzzzz. THOSE WHO REVIEW GET CHOCOLATE COVERED CHOCOLATE WITH A SIDE OF CHOCOLATE COVERED CHOCOLATE!**


	2. Street Rat

**HEY GUYS! I'm back! I am happy because people actually like this thingy.**

 **THX TO WHIRLWIND912 AND READERCUB410 FOR FAVORITING! YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING!**

 **Anyway, this chapter is in Ezmi's POV.**

 **The inspiration for this chapter is the episode "Jet" and from a deleted chapter that I might put up sometime.**

 **My stomach hurts :(**

* * *

I lived in Ba Sing Se. I lived in a little place that never gets attention, except for any bullies.

I lived on the streets.

I was a skinny 12 year old, much too skinny for my age, with brown hair and brown eyes. I was always made fun of. Why? Because, I lived on the streets, I had brown eyes, and I was a freak. My old red tank top was scratched, and my jean shorts were ripped around. I slept with a cardboard under me, my hands as my pillow, and a piece of cardboard as my blanket.

"Hey freak!" one bully said, a girl with onyx hair and green eyes. Her name was Tamiko, the second daughter of the baker across the street.

"We have something for you freak!" the other bully said. He was a boy of brown hair and amber eyes. His name was Taizo, the third and final son of the tea shop I slept next to. Tamiko and Taizo were boyfriend and girlfriend, and they liked terrorizing other kids.

"What is it Tamiko?" I said, looking up at the nice fluffy clouds. I always wished that I could control them. They looked so easy to control.

"Go knock on ol' Yukimura Sanada's house. Then we'll give you one piece of food. Make it through the day, and you'll get three,"

And so, I did.

* * *

Knocking on teenage Yukimura Sanada's house was pretty bad. She was at a teenage pregnancy with her boyfriend Muneakira Yagyu. ( **A/N: I stuck a little Samurai Girls reference in there (:)** She yelled at me, then got really sad and told me to come in. Then she took a nap, and I was still there trying to find some decent food, but she woke up and swatted me out the house.

Then, Taizo decided for me to go and do an Agni Kai with the first person travelling I saw. The first person travelling I saw was an scary woman and man named Akame and Tatsumi ( **A/N: Stuck a little Akame Ga Kill! reference! That is like, my favorite anime. Yes I like anime.** ) Tatsumi looked at me in shock, while Akame got out a sharp sword, and I almost broke down and cried. I told her that Tamiko and Taizo told me too, and Akame scowled and went to what I assume maimed them, because I only listen as Tatsumi shielded my eyes.

* * *

They said that they were going to see the queen of Ba Sing Se, Toph Beifong, and her husband, the Avatar, Aang. They were going to see her to tell her of the bullies that hurt others, including Tamiko and Taizo.

We got there, and they told me to wait outside. I heard Tatsumi and Akame scream as I waited, and I watched from a little crack in the door. I saw them being suffocated by rocks. I was scared so I ran back to the little hovel I called home.

* * *

That night I was in "freak mode" as Tamiko and Taizo would say. Their corpses were moved. That kinda scared me.

In my dream, I could see Mom, Avatar Aang, and what i could only assume was Uncle Sokka.

There were these people called the freedom fighters, and they were planning to burst a dam to destroy the Fire Nation, and the town that laid there.

"You just need to take the water out of these and put it into the riverbank." The leader, Jet said.

"NO! MOM! AANG! DON'T DO IT! IT'S A TRAP! SOKKA IS GONE! STOP IT!" I yelled, defenseless.

Mom seemed to hear me. "Did any of you hear that?" she said.

"Nope." Aang said.

"YOU PEOPLE ARE STUPID! MOM! MOM! STOP! JET IS NOT WHAT HE SEEMS! YOU NEED TO STOP TAKING ORDERS FROM HIM! I DON'T CARE IF YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON HIM, BUT IF YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED, YOUR BROTHER IS MISSING MOM! STOP DOING WHAT JET SAYS, AND GO SAVE SOKKA!" I yelled, screaming and gasping for air. I slid down the rock and tried to control my powers.

"Ok, you definitely had to hear that Aang."

"Uh-uh."

So she just kept working. I was exhasperated. No one was listening to me. I controlled my powers, and took the flows of water around me, stopping Mom from working and Aang tried to work, failing.

I sent all the water in my pouch.

Now everybody seemed to hear me.

"DO YOU HEAR ME? KATARA, MOM, WHATEVER YOU WANT ME TO CALL YOU, GO AND GET YOUR BROTHER BECAUSE HE IS BEING ATTACKED. GO AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT JET BECAUSE HE IS A LYING THIEF WHO IS USING YOU TO GET WHAT HE WANTS! Also Aang, he might take your glider." I said.

Aang looked back. Jet was holding his Aang's glider. He smirked in my direction, and then scowled. Now everyone seemed to see me. I was embarrassed.

Jet tried to hit me, but I did a 360 turn and fire flew out of my foot.

Jet hit me again, but I hit him in the face with a water whip. Aang and Mom looked scared.

Jet hit me, but in a different way. He pushed Mom into the lake. With her hands tied. And she couldn't do anything, because she seemed frozen.

That triggered my freak overload. I scowled, and the sky got dark. Everything was dark, except for me. My eyes closed, and then opened again to have them full fledged creepy. They were split into three parts. My original brown, a crystal blue to symbolize water, and an amber to symbolize fire.

"You made the wrong choice Jet." I said. My voice even sounded creepy

He tried another blow, but I blocked him with a water shield and threw a fireball at him with my free hand. We did an Agni Kai. I obviously won, having actual firebending.

When he fell to the ground, almost dead, I had picked Mom up again, and she regained her composure.

"Wow Katara, this girl calls you her mom. Who knew you could produce some scum with a Fire Nation man and be proud of it." Jet said.

Mom's face was all I needed to know that she had obviously been confused, but proud of me at the same time.

* * *

I woke up to find the leftover piece of food Taizo gave me was replaced by a note. I figured it was from either Taizo's parents or Tamiko's parents.

The note said "YOU DID THIS FREAK" with no signature.

When I got up, I felt something heavy. I felt water in my always empty pouch. I gasped, the water I had taken from Aang and Mom.

This was some major creepy stuff.

* * *

 **ANNNNDDD! HERE IT IS!**

 **Grrr... I am so mad at this chapter!**

 **I had originally called this New Americana, after the song New Americana by Halsey, and I had written more than 1,300 words, and it was really good. I was about to upload it, but I forgot to save. I went back to it, and like... 2 or 3 paragraphs were gone! GRRRRRRR! So I decided to skip it and go onto Ezmi living on the streets!**

 **NEXT CHAPTER: WE GO PENGUIN SLEDDING WITH AANG! Jk!**

 **Next chapter is actually gonna have Ezmi meeting Katara again! That's all I'm givin ya, use your imagination before I upload tomorrow.**


	3. Come Little Children

**DUN DUN! I am STILL SICK GRRRRRRRRRRRR!**

 **Yeah, my stomach still hurts. I hate it.**

 **Would anyone like to make suggestions, or forever hold your piece. Your piece of cake. I like cake. Why I'm talking about cake, IDK**

 **Hey, this is cool, it looks like a face DK DK DK DK look at it sideways DK DK DK DK!**

 **Wait.. what was I saying? Oh yeah**

 **HERE IT IS, THE CHAPTER WHERE EZMI AND KATARA MEET YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!**

 **I like anime..**

 **My stomach hurts :(**

* * *

 **KATARA'S POV**

"Zuko, I'm perfectly capable of doing this on my own!" I said as Zuko was helping me walk toward the ship, even though I said I didn't need to.

Why was he doing this?

Well... the new Fire Lady, AKA me, decided to eat too much and let myself get bloated. Would I ever do that? HAHAHA! Of course not!

Lil' ol' me decided to get pregnant again, except this time Zuko was actually okay with it.. and didn't want to destory the kid when it was born.

And... I had to go to Ba Sing Se for a meeting. A meeting that included me, Aang, Toph, and my brother Sokka. So basically it was me and friends getting together because we hadn't seen then in like... 8 months.

* * *

 **EZMI'S POV**

I sighed as Muneakira Yagyu ( **A/N: THERE'S DAT REFERENCE AGAIN!** ) tried to apologize for Yukimura's actions yesterday.

"Anyway miss, I'm sorry for any harm Yukimura might've caused you."

"Yada yada yada, do you ever shut up? I said it was okay like, an hour ago!" I said, obviously ticked off.

"Umm... sorry. I best scedaddle!" ( **A/N: This was something my sister said in a play we both did. She said "We best scedaddle." :D** )

I scowled and got my guitar out, hoping to make some money with my singing.

I thought about Mom, and how I missed her so much.

I started to sing my song.

 _Come little children  
_ _I'll take thee away  
_ _Into a land of enchantment  
_ _Come little children  
_ _The time's come to play,  
_ _Here in my garden of shadows!_

I took a raspy breath, watching as 7 bronze coins, 9 silver coins, and 3 gold coins came tumbling into my guitar case.

Using my guitar for money for 2 years had collected me: 89 bronze coins, 50 silver coins, and 35 gold coins.

 _Follow sweet children  
_ _I'll show thee the way  
_ _Through all the pain and the sorrows  
_ _Weep not poor children  
_ _For life is this way  
_ _Murdering beauty and passion_

"That's really pretty." Someone said. I looked up and gulped. Fire Lady Katara?! Why was she here at a filthy, lonely orphan when she's rich and powerful?

* * *

 **KATARA'S POV**

I walked on the streets of Ba Sing Se, hoping to find something to do or eat, because I'm not seeing everyone until sundown.

That's when I heard a soft voice singing what sounded to me as a lullaby.

 _Weep not poor children  
_ _For life is this way  
_ _Murdering beauty and passion_

I turned a corner to see a 12 year old girl singing with a filthy guitar in her hands.

"That's really pretty." I said, looking down at her with my signature smile. She looked up and gulped at me in shock.

"Th-thank you." She said, blushing a bit, I chuckled inwardly and got down on my knees, until I was looking straight into her eyes.

"Why are you on the streets honey?"

"Because I hate the Fire Lord, and I don't care if you take offense."

I actually didn't take offense to her comment about my husband. I actually could see that. Zuko has a lot of enemies. His dad, Azula, Mai, et cetera.

As if on cue, she answered my question of "Why" without me telling her

"He killed my mother. Well I mean, this was when his father was ruling and he was under his father's orders, but he still killed her!" she said, looking at me. Her eyes were about to shed tears, and her unnatural brown eyes started looking glassy. I felt so sorry for her.

"I'm so sorry sweetie. I lost my first daughter too."

"Heh, lucky coincidence."

 _Hush now dear children  
_ _It must be this way_

I frowned.

"You know what, I'm taking you with me!" I said.

"Sure. Just let me get my case."

She got everything she needed and we started to head toward the castle.

* * *

Surely but slowly, we got to the castle.

"Hey Sugar Queen. Who's the filthy kid?" Toph said.

"You too Toph. This is... I actually never got her name.."

"M-my name is Ezmi." Ezmi said. She looked like she was about to die. My expression saddened, and I said, "I'm taking her home with me, she was on the streets."

"Oh, come on, Twinkle Toes has been excited so much to see you guys over the past week."

We walked into a huge hallway, and went into...

* * *

 **EZMI'S POV**

We walked into a hallway and went into a room filled with a huge table and chairs filled with most people. I heard two screams

"KATARA! Good to see you!" and

"Good to see you Tara."

I saw Avatar Aang, who was super giddy and didn't acknowledge me. The second guy, who looked an awful lot like Mom stared at me with a kind smile, just like Katara had.

"Hey little lady. My name is Sokka, what's yours?"

I gasped and squealed a bit. This was Uncle Sokka? It couldn't be!

* * *

 **OK! I'm done. This took me all day to write.**

 **THX FOR PPL THAT HAVE BEEN REVIEWING MY STORIES, YOU GUYS GET CHOCOLATE PIE WITH WHIPPED CREAM AND STRAWBERRIES!**

 **Yep, my stomach is hurting me again. That's great.**

 **Next chapter: EZMI GOES AND SLAPS THE FIRE LORD! Jk... actually I might have her do that...**

 **Next Chapter: Katara takes Ezmi back home, Ezmi goes in freak mode, Katara and Zuko learn this is the daughter they lost so many years ago, so minds... get ready to explode!**

 **REVIEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW**


End file.
